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CRIME IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

He was put in handcuffs and placed in the car. But Mr Thomas retrieved his phone from his rear pocket to allegedly call friends to the scene in order to retrieve his belongings.

Sukhy Singh, prosecuting the case, said Mr Thomas felt he was shown "no courtesy and respect."

He said that "alarm bells rang" for the officer when the phone was being used and he was concerned for the victim's safety and of an ambush.

He said: "Thompson repeatedly asked him to give him the phone but he refused. He delivered a fist strike to his thigh as a distraction technique. He was not able to get his phone back so had to get him out of the car to retrieve the mobile successfully.

"His intention was to pull him out of the vehicle by both hands and cup his head and get him to the ground. He grabbed his hair and yanked him from the vehicle."

The court heard how Mr Thomas received minor bruising to his face.

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Mr Harris said: "The decision (to prosecute) has had an effect on Nottinghamshire Police . They now question what they do. You have a man who until recently was a serving member of the police force, protecting us all and now he is facing dismissal from the force.

"There are 17 references in support of him. He is a man of good character, a father of two children, a married man, his wife works part time and his loss of employment will cause real difficulties.

"He will be seeking to appeal the decision because of the consequences upon him.

"The complainant (Mr Thomas) brought this situation on himself and was the author of his misfortune."

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"It would be inappropriate to comment any further because the officer may be subject to misconduct procedures in the future.

"Not commenting on this particular case, on a national scale, I think police officers are in a more difficult position than they ever have been when dealing with suspects and the use of force.

"We are being told we have to do a job and quite rightly to uphold the law which on occasion does involve using force quite legimately. However, very often officers are subject to very lengthy investigations over this use of force."

"We will support PC Thompson to the conclusion of this matter."

Leicester Magistrates' Court

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regional director Derrick Campbell said: "The way the man was dragged out of the vehicle raised serious concerns as to whether PC Thompson’s actions went beyond what was proportionate and reasonable.

"Following our investigation and a complaint by the man involved, the officer has been sentenced by the court for assault.

"In addition to the referral we made to the Crown Prosecution Service, which led to the criminal case, we are now finalising a report from our investigation which will be sent to the force."

Detective Superintendent Leona Scurr, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Professional Standards Department, added: "We acknowledge the findings of the court and we are also aware that the conviction is being appealed.

"Therefore we will await the outcome of this appeal together with the IOPC investigation report before making a determination in respect of internal disciplinary proceedings."